Kingdom Hearts Re:Birth
by DankAssGamer
Summary: Pyros is a young Keyblade Master living in the Land of Departure. Two of his friends, Terra and Aqua, are taking their Mark of Mastery exams soon. Pyros and Ventus, another friend, are excited to watch them become Masters. However, a when a dark haze rears its ugly head, it it up to Pyros and his friends to stop it, one way or another. Will they be able to put a stop the darkness?
1. Rising Darkness

Pyros lay on a ledge in the Land of Departure. Of course, he didn't refer to the world by that name. He referred to it as home, even though he had only been living there for about four years. He had come after his previous home had been destroyed. He didn't really remember the details, only that he had been with his former teacher, Master Kendra, when a horde of monsters had appeared. Even with the two of them, they were grossly overpowered. She had told him he had shown the Mark of Mastery, named him Master and then saved him by pushing him into a Lane Between, to where he is now. He hadn't seen her since, and could only logically assume she was dead. She hadn't exactly given herself good odds, as she had given him her Keyblade so that he could dual wield thanks to the perfect balance of light and darkness in his heart. Yeah, a lot of good that did either of them. The Land of Departure was a safe place for Keyblade wielders and world wanderers alike.

"Wow…" a voice said dreamily from somewhere just out of Pyros's current field of vision. He recognized the voice as Ventus's, a younger Keyblade wielder he was helping to train with Master Eraqus, the other master that lived in this world.

"Sup, Ven?" He asked, acknowledging the young boy's presence, not looking at him but nodding my head in his direction. He walked over wordlessly and sat next to Pyros with a sigh.

"Why does this seem so familiar?" Ven asked nobody in particular, laying back. Pyros tried to inquire what he was talking about, but the other boy was asleep in a matter of seconds.

A few minutes later, Pyros heard someone approach. He looked over, recognizing the blue hair and black and blue outfit of Aqua, a prospective Master who would be taking her exam the following day. She settled over Ven, and Pyros nudged him awake. He sat up, not noticing the girl standing over him until he lay back down after a wide yawn. He jumped back up to a sitting position, then turned around and rested on his knees.

"Give me a break, Aqua." He said, in a mix of exasperation and friendly teasing, sending the other two into a small chuckle.

"Ven, you hopeless sleepyhead. You know you should've at least brought a blanket." She scolded lightly, smiling at him.

"Ah, give him a break, Aqua. He was only asleep for a few minutes." Pyros stated, still chuckling slightly.

"But… did I dream that place up?" He asked, once again to nobody in particular. "It really felt like I'd been there before, looking up at the stars." Pyros wondered what he was talking about, while Aqua ruffled his hair.

"'Cept you've always lived here with us." She said smiling. Pyros felt bad for deceiving him, even if it was for his own protection as Eraqus had said. The truth was, Ven wasn't from the Land of Departure, like Pyros. In fact, he had come to the world only about two weeks before Pyros. But then, he had been lifeless, emotionless. He had no light or life behind his eyes. Eventually, he gained it naturally through a combination of Aqua's continual niceness, a constant flow of information from Pyros and Eraqus, and a sort of brotherhood with Terra, the other prospective Master.

"Yeah…" He whispered. "I know." He stated a little more confidently and assertively.

The Ven stood and walked over the edge of the cliff with Aqua, Pyros following closely behind. They sat looking at the stars for a bit before Ven said, "Hey, Aqua?"

"Hm?"

"Y'ever wonder what stars are? Where light comes from?" He asked curiously.

"Well, they say-" She began to say, before being cut off by another person behind them.

"That every star is another world." The person said matter-of-factly. Everyone turned to look.

"Terra," Aqua greeted, smiling. Pyros gave a curt nod of respect. Terra returned the nod. The two weren't usually on the best of terms, and almost never saw exactly eye to eye on anything, even if they agreed overall on something. It didn't mean they didn't respect each other, as both greatly respected the other, Terra to Pyros for his ability to become a Master at such a young age and Pyros to Terra for his drive to become the best.

"Yep. Hard to believe there are so many other worlds out there like our own." The brown-haired boy stated, walking over to where we were. "The light is their hearts, shining down on us like a million lanterns."

"What? I don't get it." Ven said.

"In other words, they're just like you, Ven," Terra stated.

"What does that mean?" Ven asked, getting a bit flustered.

"You'll find out someday, I'm sure." The taller boy teased.

"But I wanna know now," Ven complained.

"You're too young to know now." Terra teased further, speaking in a matter of fact tone to aggravate Ven.

"Stop treating me like I'm a kid!" Ven exclaimed.

Aqua began to laugh. The pair turned to her.

"What are you laughing at?" Terra demanded.

"I can't help it, you two would make the weirdest brothers." She laughed.

"It's true. You would." Pyros threw in. The entire group began laughing, then Ven and Terra sat back on the ledge. The four of them sat there for at least a half an hour, just telling jokes. By the end, one would even think Pyros and Terra were the best of friends.

"Oh yeah, Terra, you and I have our Mark of Mastery exams tomorrow," Aqua said after a while, standing up. "I made us good luck charms." She declared, pulling out four necklaces each with a star shaped charm on the chain. "Here!" She said, throwing a crimson colored one to Pyros and a green one to Ven. Terra got an orange one and Aqua kept the blue one. Pyros blushed slightly but turned away so that nobody saw it.

"I get one too?" Ven asked, surprised.

"Of course, one for each of us." She stated. "Somewhere out there, there's a world with a star-shaped fruit. The fruit represents an unbreakable bond. So as long as you carry a good luck charm shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart." She explained. "You'll always find your way back to each other. Technically, I think you're supposed to make them with seashells, but I did my best with what I had."

"Oy, sometimes you are such a girl." Terra teased.

"Hey, what do you mean 'sometimes'?" She asked sassily. Pyros snorted, but it went unnoticed.

"So this isn't a real good luck charm?" Ven asked.

"That remains to be seen," Aqua stated. "But I did work a little magic on it." She added, winking slyly.

"Really? What?" Ven inquired excitedly.

She smiled. "An unbreakable connection." She said simply. The four stood talking for a little bit. Pyros didn't really pay much attention, until Terra brought up some last minute sparring before his and Aqua's exam the next day. Everyone agreed, and Ven stood to face Terra while Pyros and Aqua stepped away for their own battle.

"Ready?" The blue-haired girl asked, summoning her Keyblade and holding it at the ready, the end pointing at the ground away from her.

"I should be asking you that question, fledgling." Pyros teased, summoning his Keyblade, Wildfire. He pulled his Keyblade into battle position, in both his hands in front of his chest and his body turned to the left. He turned his head to Aqua.

"What do you mean, 'fledgling'? I become a Master tomorrow." She smirked, running at him. She swung her Keyblade at him horizontally, He parried, then swung back vertically. She jumped back.

"If you pass." Pyros teased further.

"What do you mean 'if'?" She cast Blizzard at him. He cast Fire, which melted the ice magic harmlessly. He followed up by using Fire Raid. She dodged the first but didn't anticipate the return attack. She was sent flying, and rolled to the ground and stopped on her back. Before she could react, Pyros had his foot on her chest and his Keyblade at her throat.

"My win." He grinned smugly.

"That's what you think!" She declared. She moved her empty hand up to his Keyblade, summoning hers along the way. It solidified just in time to knock his away. At the same time, she used her other hand to knock his foot out from under him and knock him off balance. She didn't anticipate that he would fall on her before she could roll clear, however, and his shoulder ended up ramming in between her breasts, knocking the wind out of her. "Yep. Your win." She gasped.

"Well, not a bad move. If it had worked it could have been a serious reversal on me and you'd likely have had a chance." He said, ending with yet another tease while offering his hand to help her up after getting off her.

"What, I didn't have a chance otherwise?" She glared at him jokingly.

"'Course not, but you should take it as a compliment. Most people don't even have a chance to have a chance." He teased even further, prompting her to punch him in the arm, hard but playfully.

After Ven's and Terra's battle was done, they switched off. Terra stepped towards Pyros and assumed his battle position. He rushed Pyros, slashing powerfully as was his style. Pyros ducked under it and aimed a kick at his ankles. Terra jumped and took the opportunity to slash downwards with the extra strength of gravity helping him. Pyros held up Wildfire to block, placing his free hand near the tip of the weapon for extra support. Terra's Keyblade struck the very center of Wildfire's blade. Terra hit with so much force that Pyros's arms nearly buckled when the Keyblades made contact. However, now that Terra had lost momentum, Pyros decided to use this to his advantage. As soon as he regained balance, Pyros sprang back forwards, knocking Terra off balance. He rammed his shoulder into Terra's chest in a similar way as he had with Aqua, except this time it was intentional. Terra fell backward, already having been off-balance from Pyros's previous maneuver. Pyros placed the tip of his Keyblade to Terra's throat as he had with Aqua.

"Two for two." He declared. He dismissed Wildfire and offered his hand to Terra. The brown haired boy took it and stood up grinning slightly. "Not bad, kid." He said teasingly.

"Kid? I'm only a few months younger than you are!" Terra laughed a little bit, fist-bumping Pyros.

The two of them walked back over to Aqua and Ven. "You two are gonna rock that exam tomorrow with extra flying colors!" Ven exclaimed, pumping his fist after high-fiving the two prospects.

Aqua and Terra began walking towards the path back to the castle. "Hey, we're gonna head back," Terra called back,

"Yeah, me too," Ven replied. He looked at Pyros, who shook his head.

"I'm gonna stay out for a while longer," Pyros told the young blonde boy. Ven nodded and ran off to catch up to the other two. Pyros walked back over to the cliff edge and sat down. He watched the meteor shower that had been going in the background of the entire interaction between the four wielders. It was dying down now, almost complete, but would still continue for at least a few more minutes. Pyros wouldn't see the end of it, as he would be asleep within seconds. He had lost track of time and hadn't realized it was nearly sunrise already and had passed out.

A few hours later, he awoke to a burning sensation in his chest. He sat bolt upright and stood once the initial pain had passed. He turned to head back to prepare for the Mark of Mastery exam that he was helping administer. However, upon completing the turn, he found himself face to face with a pale boy he'd never seen before. He had black hair, lifeless navy blue eyes and wore an emotionless expression. He had on a black leather jacket over a white t-shirt, with dark blue jeans and black tennis shoes covering his body. His sudden appearance startled Pyros, so that he took a step back and instinctively summoned Wildfire.

"Who the hell are you?" Pyros demanded, assuming his battle stance.

"Hmph." The boy rolled his eyes, as if this was boring him. He summoned a black Keyblade covered with purple thorn-like protrusions, and three sharp purple spikes forming the crown of the blade. The charm was a broken heart.

"I said, who are you?" Pyros demanded again, gripping Wildfire tightly. He'd have to be prepared to block instantaneously, since he couldn't dodge without risking falling off the edge, likely to his death.

"That's not for you to know yet, weak-willed heathen." The boy said simply.

"I don't know what that means, but I'm gonna take it as a backhanded compliment." Pyros glared defiantly at the boy. He was sure he could defeat him easily, if not for the precarious position he was in.

"Ugh… Fine, if you must be gnostic about it. I go by many names, the Dark Master, Evil Mastermind, blah blah blah, but the name I was gifted upon birth is Oren. But after today, you shall have no need of that information, nor any information. There is no use for knowledge amongst the deceased." Oren rambled. Pyros didn't understand most of it, but he heard the name Oren and assumed that to be his name.

"Okay. Oren was all I needed. What are you doing here?" Pyros inquired, a little less forcefully.

"I have come here to fulfill a certain desire of mine, that has been irking me for quite some time. I am here to fulfill my purpose or die. The purpose of sending you to the other side." Oren stated plainly.

"So… you're here to… kill me?" Pyros said, slowly putting things together.

"Put simply in layman's terms yes, exactly that." He said simply.

"Well, I can't let you do that. I've got stuff planned." Pyros said, dismissing Wildfire and sidling around Oren. "Important stuff. See, I'm proctoring a Mark of Mastery exam today, so I need to be there."

"That's perfectly fine. I didn't intend on clashing with you in this place anyways. I have matters of my own to attend to before that can happen. In the meantime, I hope you'll be training to your fullest extent in anticipation for the day we meet in battle. I most assuredly shall be." Oren smirked, disappearing into the darkness within seconds.

"Wait… so he came all the way here, to tell me he was going to kill me… later? Ugh… I must have been dreaming or something." Pyros decided. He began to walk back to the castle under the newly risen sun.


	2. A Master's Mark

Pyros sat on the middle throne, to the left of Master Eraqus's and right of Master Xehanort's. He rested his chin on his right fist, and his elbow on the arm of the throne. He draped his left leg over the chair's other arm, watching and waiting for the exam to begin. He nodded to Ven,acknowledging the young boy. Ven returned the nod. Master Eraqus stood and stepped forward.

"Today, you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery. Not one, but two of the Keyblade's chosen stand here as candidates, however this is neither a competition, nor a test of supremacy. It is not a test of wills, but a test of heart." He explained. "Both of you may prevail, or neither. However, I don't think Master Xehanort traveled all this way to see our youngest prospects in years fall short of the Mark." He gestured to the bald, elderly Master next to Pyros.

"I trust you are both ready?" The words barely registered with Pyros as he watched on the edge of his seat with high anticipation. The two young candidates nodded and replied "Yes" in perfect harmony. Eraqus held out his Keyblade and summoned spheres light. Out of the corner of his eye, Pyros noticed a flash of movement. He ignored it, assuming it just being Xehanort adjusting. The spheres, however, didn't react kindly to having been summoned. The acquired a dark aura, and began moving erratically, one moving towards Ven, who shouldn't have been targeted at all. Pyros bolted upright, clutching the arm of the chair tightly. All he could do was watch as the balls of darkened light moved around the room attacking his friends. Eraqus wasn't putting a stop to it, and they were his students, not Pyros's. He could do nothing without Eraqus's consent.

After a while, the spheres were eliminated and the fledglings were safe, including Ven. The two being tested stepped back to the front of Master Eraqus, awaiting his words.

"That was unexpected. But one must keep a level heart, even in the most trying of circumstances." He stated. "It was an excellent test, one I chose to let unfold." He continued, justifying his reasons for not stepping in.

"Which brings us to our next trial." He looked at Terra and Aqua. With a nod to each, he said "Now, Terra, Aqua. You will face each other in combat." He explained. "There are no winners; only truths. For when equal powers clash, their true nature is revealed."

The two nodded, and stepped away. Aqua walked across the room and summoned Rainfell, her Keyblade. Terra stayed almost where he was and summoned his respective Keyblade, Earthshaker. Aqua rushed Terra. Pyros was so lost in the action he barely payed attention to the details of what happened. He did notice the flash of darkness from Terra's hand about halfway through, though it was quickly extinguished. All he knew afterwards was that they both did extremely well.

The duel ended, and the potentials stood back to attention once again. The other two Masters stood from their thrones, Pyros following suit. They stepped out of the room to decide who would become Master among them.

"I think they both did well enough to become Masters. They both not only took care of an unexpected turn of events calmly and collectedly in the first trial, but they both showed they were capable of battle if the need should arise in both trials." Pyros kicked off the conversation.

"They did, however I believe Terra needs to learn better control of the darkness in his heart. He nearly lost control in the duel." Eraqus stated.

"What? But he got rid of it immediately. He showed he had control and it just slipped out into physical manifest. He couldn't have done much with it. Plus, I use darkness and I'm a Master." Pyros protested.

"I agree with the young one, Eraqus. They both show great prowess in their fields, especially Terra. In fact, I may go as far as to say that Terra has far surpassed Aqua should he be allowed to use his true power, even to the point where he may be the only worthy of the Mark." Xehanort agreed.

"Yes, Pyros, you do. However, you were trained by a different Master than Terra. Should you have been trained by me, that would never have been allowed to grow to the point it has." Eraqus responded. "And on top of that, Terra could have severely injured Aqua. She in by no means weak or fragile, however to be hit with darkness can cause damage to even the most stalwart of people." He said, pointing to the scars on his face.

"What do you mean by that? I've perfectly balanced the light and darkness in my heart. That's what allows me to do this." Pyros focused, summoning Wildfire in his right hand, and in his left appeared his former Master's Keyblade, Blazecrest. "Plus, darkness is not inherently evil. The people who often use it give it that connotation because they are the evil ones."

"Once again, I am inclined to agree with Pyros, Eraqus. Those that wield the darkness are often evil prior to learning the arts of the magic. In addition, darkness is merely a counterpart to light. Suppressing it would be comparable to one suppressing the light within them." Xehanort agreed again.

"No matter. It is my choice, and I say he does not receive the Mark until he meets my standards. For now, Aqua alone will receive the Mark." Eraqus composed. They stepped back into the throne room.

"We have deliberated and reached a decision." Eraqus began. Behind him, Xehanort held his usual creepy grin while Pyros scowled. "Terra, Aqua, you both performed commendably. However, only Aqua has shown the Mark of Mastery." He continued. Terra's face immediately fell, then he looked at Pyros scornfully. It was clear he thought Pyros had something to do with this failure.

"Terra," Eraqus said. Terra snapped back to attention. "You failed to keep the darkness within you sufficiently in check. But, there is always next time." He said, seeming disappointed. "Aqua," He turned to the new Master. "As a Master, you are entitled to certain knowledge. Wait here for further instructions." He ordered. He turned and left, Pyros and Xehanort close behind.

"I still don't agree with you." Pyros told Eraqus once they had left. "Terra is so capable of becoming Master, if you'd just lighten up about darkness." He said before walking away. He didn't have anything important to tell Aqua that he couldn't have told her before she was Master, so instead he went to find Terra and Ven.

Ven was in his room, not wanting to be bothered, so instead he found Terra, outside on the steps.

"Hey, Terra," Pyros greeted as he walked down the stairs. "Sorry you didn't get to be Master. I thought you had it in the bag, especially after last night."

"Yeah, I bet you are sorry, Pyros. I bet you feel real bad about me not getting through." Terra said sarcastically.

"What's THAT supposed to mean?" Pyros demanded..

"I know you didn't let me get through. I know you don't like me, but really?" He glared at Pyros.

"What are you talking about? I vouched for you to pass, you failing the exam was all Eraqus!" Pyros protested.

"What?" His gaze softened. "Oh. Sorry, then." He turned back.

"Hey… I want you to know, no matter what happens, and no matter how much we butt heads, I've always got your back. And so do Aqua and Ven. We all have each other's, forever. Remember the Wayfinders? They're symbolic of our unbreakable connection to each other." Pyros said consolingly to Terra, sitting down next to the brown haired boy.

Terra nodded. "There's darkness within me... So what does that matter? I know I'm strong enough to hold it back." He spoke quietly.

"Yes, you are. I watched you hold it back very well considering the intensity and pace of the battle." Pyros commended.

"Yes. You are indeed strong." A voice spoke suddenly, from behind them. They both shot up into standing positions and turned around in the process. They lowered their guard when they saw it was Xehanort. "The darkness is nothing to fear, as Pyros continues to insist."

"Master Xehanort…" Terra greeted.

"And yet… how frustrating that Eraqus refutes it's power. Why, you could train with him forever, and in his eyes, never be a Master." Xehanort claimed, making his way down to them.

"But why? Help me understand, Master Xehanort." Terra requested. "What is it that I have failed to learn?"

"You are fine as you are." Xehanort told him, continuing down the stairs and walking past them. "Darkness cannot be destroyed, it can only be channeled, as Pyros and I have learned to do."

"Yes. Thank you, Master." Terra said, at attention once more. Just then, the emergency bell began ringing, signaling that something bad was happening. Terra looked around, then rushed up the stairs, Pyros close at his heels.

"What happened?" Terra asked upon arrival.

"I don't know. Why isn't Ven here?" Aqua responded.

"Maybe it's something too dangerous for him?" Pyros offered. Master Eraqus finished speaking with the light on the wall that was the intercommunications panel between worlds.

"That was my dear old friend Yen Sid. As you know, he is Master no more. But he still keeps a close eye on the tides of light and darkness." Eraqus exposited, Terra and Aqua standing at attention while Pyros merely stood naturally, though clearly listening. "His counsel serves as signposts on the road we wielders of the Keyblade must walk.

"All the more reason, then, for concern- for he tells me the Princesses of Heart are in danger. Not only from the forces of darkness, as you would assume, but also a new threat- one that feeds on negativity. Fledgling emotions, taken monster form. Yen Sid calls them the 'Unversed'. As wielders of the Keyblade, you are responsible for striking down any who would upset the balance of light and darkness. The Unversed are no exception.

"I have tried to pass this news on to Master Xehanort, but my repeated attempts to reach him have failed. I doubt there is any connection, and yet… this all troubles me." Eraqus finished.

"Master Xehanort is gone?" Terra asked.

"It is up to you two to get this situation under control." Eraqus ordered. "Pyros, I'd like you to go with them as well. Eliminate the Unversed and find Master Xehanort. I have unlocked the Lanes Between. You may use these forbidden pathways to travel between this world and countless others. The darkness looms closer than usual in these spaces, but your armor will protect you.

"Lastly, remember that order must be kept. You cannot tell anyone that there are other worlds. Now go, and fulfill your duty." he finished his long-winded speech.

"Yes, Master." The other two immediately said. Terra turned to walk off right away.

"Terra," Eraqus called him. "Consider this an opportunity. A second chance for you to change my mind."

"What?" Terra asked in near disbelief.

"You must know, I care for you like my own son. If I had my way, I would name you Master in a second. But how can I, when you're so obsessed with power?" He explained. "Terra, you mustn't be afraid of losing. Fear leads to obsession with power, and obsession beckons the darkness." He said. "You must never forget."

"Thank you, Master." Terra bowed. It must have been a dream come true. "I swear. I will not fail you again." He promised before leaving.

"Master, I'd best be on my way." Aqua said, turning back after watching Terra run off.

"I'll go with you. Terra seems pretty eager to be off on his own." Pyros suggested. She nodded at him, and they turned to walk off together. Ven ran by, and Eraqus called Aqua back.

"Before you depart, I have one other… Well, call it a request, of the utmost importance. I told Terra this would be a second chance to show the Mark, and I meant it. However, that flicker of darkness during the examination-" He began.

"No. Not this again. I've been telling you, over and over again, darkness is not inherently evil!" Pyros interrupted angrily. "You keep acting as if you know so much about the nature of darkness, but you clearly can't even fathom how it works! You keep saying you don't want the darkness to "take" people, but it doesn't. It never has, and never will. It isn't some spirit that possesses people, not any more than light is. What possesses people is obsession with power. Darkness is a powerful thing, only truly defeated by the very thing that creates it- light. That power draws in people that aren't exactly nice, who use it and give it a bad rap even though it's impossible for darkness itself to do anything wrong because it is no more sentient than any other kind of magic!" Pyros blew up, glaring at Eraqus.

"...Yes. In any case, if he becomes… infatuated by the power of darkness, then I ask that you bring him back at once. It's for his own good." Eraqus requested, talking to Aqua, but eyeing Pyros. "I'd be unable to bear it if any of you become enchanted by its powers, as Pyros speaks of."

"Of course, Master. I would never let that happen." Aqua replied, ignoring Pyros's outburst. "I promise to bring Terra back. But this time, you'll see he has what it takes to be a Master." She paused. "He's not as weak as you think."

"She's right. He'll become a Master this time, there's no doubt in my mind. I know it." Pyros added, conviction burning behind his eyes. He turned to leave, followed by Aqua.

They reached the doors just behind Ven, surprisingly considering how much time the request took. The young boy ran to Terra at the bottom of the stairs. The two Masters watched as they had a short lived conversation, Terra leaving on his Keyblade Glider, Ven following suit. Aqua ran to try to stop him, but was too late. Pyros and Eraqus ran up behind her, watching him glide off into the Lanes Between.

"No! He mustn't!" Eraqus exclaimed. He turned to Aqua and Pyros. "You have to bring him back!" He requested.

"Don't worry, Master." Aqua responded calmly. She ran forward and summoned her armor and Glider.

"Add another thing to the list." Pyros sighed as he ran forward to follow suit. They boarded the gliders and shot off into the Lanes Between, their first adventure.


End file.
